Ryanair workers met at the offices of the Irish trade union Fórsa for the first ever Ryanair Crew Summit on 3-4 July. Following their discussiong they have launched a Ryanair Crew Charter outlining the changes the company must make to bring it in line with comparable employers.
The charter contains demands on economic conditions, safety and rostering, a fair and supportive work culture, agency employment, the right to sick pay and sales targets. A key demand is also that employment contracts explicitly recognise national law and jurisdiction in the country a worker is based.
The summit was organised by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), as part of the Cabin Crew United alliance. Cabin crew representing around 80% of Ryanair’s cabin crew workforce and ground crew representing 100% of its ground crew workforce attended.
In December, after intense pressure from workers, Ryanair finally announced that it would recognise unions. However, little progress has been made over the last six months and there have so far been no concrete improvements in pay or working conditions at the airline.
If Ryanair fails to respond promptly and appropriately then it risks industrial action over the summer. The ITF and the ETF support all lawful industrial action undertaken by their national affiliates with the aim of winning a fair deal for workers.
Press enquiries should be directed to:
Bryn Watkins, Communications Officer, ETF
+32 470 93 05 90
Notes
1. The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) creates borderless solidarity among transport workers in every corner of the globe. It supports 670 affiliate trade unions in 140 countries, representing 19.7 million workers.
2. The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) embraces transport trade unions from the European Union, the European Economic Area and Central and Eastern European countries. The ETF represents more than five million transport workers from more than 230 transport unions and 42 European countries.
3. Cabin Crew United is an alliance of trade unions affiliated to the International Transport Workers’ Federation and European Transport Workers’ Federation, dedicated to winning a better deal for Ryanair cabin crew workers. To find out more, go to https://www.facebook.com/ryanaircabincrewunited/.
